I read with some head scratching the recent ABA Journal article, Virtual Escape. The article discusses the perceived work-life balance “difficulties” faced by lawyers who use technology to serve their clients.
The same technology that has freed attorneys from their physical office space has also tethered them to clients around the clock, perhaps thwarting work-life balance as much as it helps…
In a word: phooey.
Let’s get something out of the way though: if you are an attorney at BigLaw, then yes, you are tethered to clients around the clock. That is the quid pro quo for those types of gigs. The deal flow and cases handled by BigLaw are often just different (from my practice, anyway). When you have a client with offices in time zones around the world, it is always 8:00 a.m. somewhere. If you want to service these types of clients, it is expected that you will respond at any time.
For many attorneys however, mobile devices are simply tools that help us do our jobs. The notion that an iPhone or an iPad make our practice more difficult or could result in a loss of control puts the blame in the wrong place. You never hear a carpenter complaining about work / life balance because she takes her hammer home with her at the end of each day. If I have a client that has a genuine need at 3:00 in the morning, I want to know about it. If I have a client that is abusing the privilege, I don’t blame my iPhone anymore than a plumber blames his wrench when he gets called out in the dark to remedy a flooding basement.
These tools help us do our jobs in ways we could barely dream of even 5 years ago. The additional “input” into our lives has to be managed just like the amount of food, TV, alcohol or anything else we consume. And, in fairness, the article makes this point to a certain degree. But by linking being “truly relaxed” with being disconnected, the article does a disservice to lawyers wrestling with whether and how to use technology to better service clients.
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